This is an update to a ‘stew’ recipe I posted a couple years back. I am happy to report that in addition to improving the recipe, I also now have the ability to identify the difference between soup and stew ;) Categorization issues aside, the beauty of this recipe is that you can pretty much swap in any veggies you have on hand, change up the spices and/or add rice or noodles to keep things interesting.

I used pre-cut root veggies this time around because Whole Foods didn’t have whole rutabaga or parsnip.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 medium rutabaga

1 turnip

1 parsnip

2 large carrots

2 stalks celery

1/4 green cabbage

32 fl oz chicken broth

1 bunch green kale

1 bunch spinach

16 oz (2 cups) pumpkin puree

1.5-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Steps

Clean and chop all vegetables, peel the rutabaga/parsnip/turnip. Add all veggies except the greens to slow cooker (I usually put the root vegetables on the bottom since they take the longest to cook)

Clean and break up chicken thighs (this can be done with a knife, your hands or a wooden mallet), add to slow cooker

Sauté oil, onion and spices (.5 tsp cayenne) on the stove on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until fragrant, add to slow cooker

Pour pumpkin puree and spread over other ingredients

Pour chicken broth covering ingredients (there should be enough chicken broth to cover all ingredients but if it is a little low push ingredients down or add a bit of water to ensure everything is covered in liquid)

Cook on low for 7 hours

Add greens* and rest of the cayenne pepper around the the 6 hour mark.

*I prefer to add the spinach right before serving so it is soft but not slime-y, and I will usually add in a bit more each time I reheat an individual portion.

I’m always on the lookout for low sugar, clean ingredient snacks and desserts and decided it might be nice to gather my current favorites all in one place. I think it is also important to take a moment to highlight companies that are proving delicious food doesn’t have to come at the expense of using over processed or commonly irritating ingredients. Since it has been all about chocolate for me lately, this month’s post is dedicated to the best chocolate items in my life right now. Everything here has less than 10 grams of sugar per serving, with most at 5g and under. I’m also giving away some of these items on my instagram, so make sure to check out this post.

Elements Truffles Chocolate + Hot Chocolate

I fell in love with Elements Truffles chocolate after stumbling across it at Whole Foods; dairy-free, low sugar, small batch, Ayurveda inspired chocolate that tastes amazing. I also feel particularly connected to their ethos— in addition to a focus on simplicity, their ingredients come from fair trade manufacturers, and they donate 25% of profits to the education of underprivileged children in tribal areas of India. Read more about their story here. Elements offers some really cool flavors that are made with just cacao and honey, infused with Ayurveda Superfoods and pure essential oils. They also make Turmeric infused dark hot chocolate that is perfect for cooler weather. Check out my instagram giveaway for a chance to win some of their chocolate.

Nomz

If you have followed me for a bit, you have definitely seen me mention Nomz. They taste basically exactly like brownie bites, and you would never guess that they are only 3g sugar per ball and minimal ingredients. Nomz come in a few different flavors, but Pistachio is my favorite.

Nutrition Details

Cashew Cacao Antioxidant Bar (Hemp Bar)

I’m a little confused as to the real name of this bar. It is listed as a Cashew Cacao Antioxidant bar, but all of the branding would lead you to believe it is called ‘Hemp Bar’. None-the-less, they are delicious, and I have re-ordered them twice now. The texture is pretty unique, soft and chewy (likely due to the apricots) but the cacao powder flavor definitely comes through.

Nutrition Details

Bulletproof Bar

I love Bulletproof bars and would recommend all of the flavors, however, my current favorite is the mint chocolate chip. I had been eyeing it on the bulletproof site, but did not want to buy an entire box before trying them. They also don’t list the ingredients of their bars online which is frustrating. Luckily, my local whole foods started carrying them, and they were worth the wait. These taste EXACTLY like a girl scout thin mint. The ingredient list is far longer than any of the other items here, which would usually be concerning to me, but including things like grass-fed collage protein is a big bonus of this bar.

A note on sweets..

I am generally of the mindset that if you are trying to cut out sugar and retrain your palate, staying away from ‘sweets’ (even low sugar ones, stevia etc.) is super important. Breaking my body’s addiction to the ‘sweet’ made things 10x easier. I am personally at a point in my health journey that I feel in touch enough with my body to incorporate some sweets, knowing that if I start to feel any of those all too familiar adrenal fatigue symptoms (brain fog, anxiety, insomnia) I can easily remove them again without fighting cravings. As always, everyone is different— do what is best for your body.

I haven’t shared a recipe in while, but i’ve been making this one so much lately that I thought it would be the perfect one to post to get back into the groove. It is actually my mom’s recipe but it definitely epitomizes my original purpose in creating this blog and sharing my food—to show that nourishing delicious food doesn’t have to be complicated or daunting and that cooking for yourself frequently can be totally manageable. Packs of chicken thighs can be purchased in advance, frozen, and pulled out. Prep takes 10 minutes at most—then you throw them in the oven for an hour while you are free to do other things. Absolutely ideal for those of us who work full-time, and want to cook for ourselves on a regular basis. They come out with the skin crispy and the inside juicy— truly drool worthy. And rest assured that these taste amazing reheated in the toaster oven. I’d also like to note that marinating overnight is the ideal situation. However, i’ve made these without marinating ahead of time, and while they are slightly less flavorful/juicy, they are still very very good.

Supplies

1 gallon ziploc bag (this can be swapped for a baking dish— I prefer the bag because it helps keep the oil and spices distributed on both sides of the chicken while marinating)

These parsnip hash brown cakes are a great alternative if you don't eat potatoes. They can be made sweet or savory (just swap out the cinnamon & turmeric for onion powder/basil/oregano/sea salt etc.) and are great topped with almond butter, kite hill almond milk cream cheese or beet puree.

Steps

using the large side of a box grater, grate parsnip until you have 1 cup of shreds

add 1/4 tsp cinnamon & turmeric to shreds and mix together

form parsnip into two equal size cakes

add butter to pan on medium heat

carefully place cakes on pan

continue to re-form cakes as they cook (they will crumble a bit during cooking)

Cook 4 minutes on each side or until crispy enough to scoop off the pan without falling apart

Sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon

Ingredients

I love that Kite Hill has a completely unsweetened almond milk yogurt, but generally find it to be a bit too bitter to eat on its own. This recipe is the perfect way to sweeten it up a bit using beets- which is ideal for me as i'm always looking to add in additional veggies. Recipe makes about 2 servings.

Steps

steam beet(s) until tender, 15-20 minutes (I used a beet from my big batch of steamed veggies from meal prep)

coarsely grate beet(s) (I don't mind the skin, but feel free to remove if you don't like it.)

Back when I was deep in the depths of my adrenal/chronic fatigue days I started each morning with a sugary muffin (blueberry was my fave) and tea. This really did nothing to help my already low energy levels, and 30 minutes later I would be starving and exhausted. Getting out of bed to begin with was already a feat in and of itself.

1. Water

The first change I made was to start drinking two full cups of water when I got up, and before I ate breakfast. Hydration is one of the simplest and most beneficial things you can do for your adrenals, and It's also super helpful in the morning to keep things movin' along if ya catch my drift. I had a hard time at first getting that much water down first thing. Once I adjusted, I began to crave water as soon as I woke up. If i'm feeling a bit groggy, water actually gives me the boost that I used to rely solely on caffeine to give me. Starting off with a good amount of water ensures that i'm on the right track hydration wise before I get distracted by whatever my day entails.

2. Protein

Next, I added in protein- two soft-boiled eggs to be exact. Soft boiling eggs makes them MUCH easier to digest. If you are struggling to make perfect creamy SBE see my previous post for a video on how I cook them. Protein fuels my metabolism and keeps me full for longer.

3. Vegetables

I began eating a full cup of veggies with breakfast. I try to get 6 cups of cooked vegetables in a day, and having them with breakfast really began as a means to an end. These days, breakfast doesn't feel complete without, at the very least, some cooked greens. Greens, in particular, are a great way to kick start digestion and increase energy levels.

*Morning is now my favorite time and breakfast is my favorite meal. I feel at my highest energy in the morning, and getting out of bed is so much easier.*

Make it easy on yourself. Plan Ahead.

I cook 6, sometimes 12 eggs at a time in my meal prep and then reheat them each morning in the toaster oven. People always look at me like i'm crazy when i say this and i'm still trying to figure out why. Its actually the most genius thing- the eggs taste exactly like they are freshly boiled, and you have a full breakfast in basically no time. I put 2 eggs in the toaster oven along with my plate of veggies for 10 minutes on "bake" at 350 degrees. For people with completely 0 time in the morning, you can just grab the cooked eggs out of the fridge on your way to work and eat them once you get to the office.

Real Talk

I've heard plenty of times from my health coaching clients/friends/coworkers etc. that they simply have 0 desire to eat breakfast in the morning. I get it. My advice is generally to start off slowly adding in some cooked greens or protein (whichever sounds less blegh to you.) You might be surprised by how quickly your body begins to crave a morning meal and what a jumpstart it gives you to the day. If you don't consider yourself a morning person, try this for a couple weeks and get back to me.

QUICK TIPS

2 cups of water upon waking

Eat within 30 minutes of waking

Cook eggs and veggies in advance

Heat eggs and veggies up in the toaster oven 350 degrees for 10 minutes

Tested out entube curry paste on some veggie curry (recipe soon!) over the weekend with good results. With the leftover almond flour from the curry I decided to give grain-free chicken tenders a try. I've had these once before at a restaurant and found them to be pretty bland, so I figured i'd jazz em up with some entube as well. This is probably one of my favorite recipes in a while.*

Notes: You may not need two full cups of almond flour. I found that the flour begins to clump as you dip the chicken and won't stick anymore, so I continued adding in some fresh flour as that happened. I cooked the chicken in two batches. I added two tablespoons of entube per batch. I also didn't add in all of the olive oil at once, but coated the bottom of the pan and then added more as the tenders cooked and the pan looked a bit dry.

I've learned through many failed attempts that describing how I cook my eggs is usually met with a lot of this 😐, so I decided to finally make a video showing just exactly how I do it. This method makes eggs that have a creamy/jelly yolk and a firm white. I started eating my eggs soft boiled because it really helped with my digestion. Once I perfected this method, I pretty much stopped cooking them any other way. *This is my first video, plz be gentle*

BTW: I cook 6 eggs at a time. It's always part of my meal prep. I put them in the fridge and then pop them in the toaster oven with some veggies to reheat in the morning, and they taste exactly the same as when freshly cooked. Huge time saver, and a way to ensure i'm getting a full breakfast in the morning regardless of my schedule.

BTW #2: stoves vary, cookware varies etc. keep in mind you might have to try this a couple times to figure out the perfect cook time in your kitchen. For example, when i'm in Austin I cook my eggs for 7 minutes, when i'm in Brooklyn it's 8 minutes. Don't get discouraged if they don't turn out 100% perfect the first time!

Parsnip has become my favorite root vegetable to create fries out of as of late, so, I thought i'd post an updated (and tweaked) recipe with how i've been making them recently. These are savory, super crispy on the tips and soft in the middle.

Ingredients

2 medium parsnips

4 tbsp olive oil (add more for crispier fries, I err on the side of excess and add any remaining oil in the bowl to mustard or mayo for a flavored dip)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/16 tsp cayenne powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

Steps

preheat oven to 375 degrees

clean (no need to peel) parsnip and chop into desired size (the thinner, the crispier the result)

mix with other ingredients in a bowl

pour onto a parchment lined baking sheet

bake for 30 minutes, or until desired crispiness (I usually set for 20 and then monitor for the next 10 minutes as they crisp up)

I had the most insanely delicious jicama tortilla tacos at Glasserie late last year, and I have been vowing to make my own ever since. I decided to go for a vegetarian version, and used Primal Palate Taco Seasoning on the veggies before roasting. These turned out super tasty, and I will for sure make them again.

I definitely struggled a bit to slice the jicama as thin as I would have liked. It is pretty delicate and snaps/tears easily. Gonna have to see if there is a better tool to accomplish this for next time.

Note: This recipe makes approx. 6-8 tacos.

Ingredients

Spicy Mayo

1/2 cup soy-free mayo

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp curry powder

Optional

Avocado

Cilantro

2 cups carrot noodles

2 cups green beans

2 cups shredded red cabbage

1 cup chopped rutabaga

1/2 leek

8 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon primal palate taco seasoning

1 medium jicama

Steps

Roasted veggies

clean and chop all veggies to desired size

put veggies in a bowl, add oil and taco seasoning, mix well

pour onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet

roast at 425 degrees for 35 minutes, or until desired crispiness

Jicama Tortillas

Peel and slice jicama into thin discs

Place disc one at a time in a steam basket over boiling water

Let steam for 5-10 minutes, or until disc seems flexible enough to bend into taco shape

Let them cool, then you can dry them out a bit by blotting with a paper towel or cloth

I am often asked about cutting down on sugar - "Don't you miss eating 'fill in the blank'!?". The truth is, while I did deal with cravings at first, as my body got into balance, I stopped craving super sweet things all together. In fact, I have found that what used to be pleasurably sweet is often unbearably sweet for me now. My palate has completely changed.

With that said, there is one item that I do sometimes find myself day dreaming about, and it's one that I enjoyed every morning from the time I was around 5 or 6 years old.

My morning muffin (with tea) was such a ritual for me, and a hard one to break. A few weeks ago, I found myself thinking about muffins again, and decided to come up with an updated version- one that was way more nutrient dense and actually kept me full.

As you might have seen on Instagram, this muffin top eventually morphed into a pretty excellent hamburger bun.

Ingredients

1 medium cauliflower

2 eggs

5 tablespoons almond meal

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

almond butter for drizzle (optional)

Steps

Heat oven to 400F

Remove leaves and stem and chop cauliflower into florets

In batches pulse the florets in a food processor until they resemble rice

Combine rice with other ingredients and mix together.

Divide into 5-6 balls and place on parchment paper covered baking sheet

Bake for 40-45 minutes

Broil on high for 5 minutes if you prefer more crispiness

BUNS: The sweeter spices worked just fine for me in the bun capacity, but if you are looking for more of a savory creation from the start, you could swap in cayenne, garlic powder and sea salt. To reheat as buns, I sliced in half and put in the toaster oven at 350 for 5 minutes which led to ultimate crispiness :)

One of my absolute favorite simple snacks is root vegetable fries. Root vegetables are super nutrient dense, and make for a crispy and delicious batch of fries with little effort.

I have used this recipe for turnip, rutabaga, parsnip, carrot, celery & parsley root fries. If you manage to save some for later, you can simply pop them in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes to crisp up just like new.

Steps

heat the oven to 375 degrees

clean root, if using rutabaga or celery root peel the outer layer

chop into fry size pieces- the thiner the pieces, the crispier the fries will be